Laurie baker was a britishborn indian architect widely recognised as one of the pioneers of sustainable architecture and organic architecture. Lawrence wilfred laurie baker 2 march 1917 1 april 2007 was a british born indian. Applications are invited from individuals and organizations in the field of architecture and engineering, as well as. The indian coffee house is a neo vernacular architectural style public building located in thiruvanthapuram, kerala. He obtained indian citizenship in 1989 and resided in thiruvananthapuram trivandrum, kerala. Laurie bakers architectural principles bringing designs. The development of modernist architecture in india.
Perhaps much of the content of the manual may be of relevance to many other parts of india. While costford and individual architects have documented bakers work in kerala, the documents have not been published yet. The britishborn indian architect, laurie baker, known as the gandhi of architecture, gave india lowcost building design with maximum efficiency and great aesthetic. Sep 08, 2016 for more than two millenniums, local people were developing the architecture of kerala, which has been influenced by the vedic and dravidian traditions and believes on indian architecture. Baker studied architecture at birmingham institute of art and design. Laurie baker represented a unique tradition of architecture that blended man and nature. He offered a unique tradition of architecture that blended man and nature. Pdf the paper showcase embedded dimensions of sustainability in. Lawrence wilfred laurie baker 2 march 1917 1 april 2007 was a britishborn indian. See more ideas about kerala architecture, kerala and place of worship.
He passed away in 2007 and has many buildings standing in india, but ive found that hes much less well known than some of his contemporaries like christopher alexander. This year, 2017, marks the centenary birth anniversary of arguably indias greenest architect, laurie baker, who was often called the father of sustainable architecture. He has contributed towards designing and building schools, civic buildings, institutes. Lawrence wilfred laurie baker 2 march 1917 1 april 2007 was a britishborn indian architect, renowned for his initiatives in costeffective energyefficient architecture and designs that maximized space, ventilation and light and maintained an uncluttered yet striking aesthetic sensibility. Exposed bricks, use of jallies in the place of glass windows, a rejection of geometric building designs. The exterior design incorporates elements from the architecture of the old. I travelled to kerala back in january 2004 and had indeed had coffee in the spiral coffee shop in trivandrum. Kanvinde, laurie baker kerala architecture characteristics ekasala, dwisala, trisala, catussala nalukettu temple architecture materials of construction construction techniques used influence of climate, topography and materials on architecture elements of. Oct 20, 2014 vernacular architecture, unique example of vernacular architecture olivia homepage descarga en pdf madain saleh o madain saleh en arabe. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page.
Aspects of traditional kerala architecture, temple architecture and eastern syrian christian tradition were integrated into the design. A case of traditional kerala architecture vijesh kumar v assistant professor, mc gans ooty school of architecture, perar, tamilnadu, india. A gandhian by nature, laurie baker, known as the gandhi of architecture, the master of minimalism gave india lowcost building design with maximum efficiency and just the right amount of aesthetics. He has contributed towards designing and building schools, civic buildings, institutes, hospitals and leprosy centers, chapels and over private homes for the poor in india mostly in southern district of kerala, residences for individual clients and mass. Life, works, writing this book is the most the important and complete publication on laurie baker yet. The incredible yet little known life of the man called the gandhi of architecture and the architect for indias poor pritzker nominated quaker sustainable architect laurie baker who made the impossible dream of green strong affordable homes possible for millions in india. Kerala architecture has rich tradition and there was never an attempt to collect valuable details and traditional styles and methods used by kerala architects of olden days. Allow me to draw your attention to laurie baker, who is known for developing beautiful sustainable buildings in india, using traditional construction methods and natural materials. For more than two millenniums, local people were developing the architecture of kerala, which has been influenced by the vedic and dravidian traditions and believes on indian architecture. About kerala style beautiful house plans and elevation, home plans, to 3000 square feet plans, kerala home plans, house elevations, blog architecture kerala. Lijo jos and reny lijo think that the space can be an extension of the work itself and thus. Laurie baker, an indian architect of british origin, passed away last sunday at the age of. Laurie bakers architectural principles bringing designs to.
Kerala livestock development board trivandrum and sewa rural centre. Kerala architecture is one of the most exciting examples of preservation of vernacular styles. Laurie baker brick genius more margie australian architectural graduate clare elizabeth kennedy discovers the unsung legacy of laurie bakers brick buildings in kerala, india on a six month sojourn to the subcontinent. Laurie baker, an indian architect of british origin, passed away last. Laurie baker was so different from his contemporaries.
This building, courtesy of its unusual design has become one of the most recognisable structures in trivandrum. Baker has been known for his pioneering practice of costeffective architecture in kerala. Architects who are not mentioned in any more detail here but have certainly made a significant contribution include laurie baker in kerala whose lifes work follows economical, ecological and sustainable criteria in building and is devoted above all to people in lower income groups. He passed away in 2007 and has many buildings standing in india, but ive found that hes much less well known than some of his contemporaries like christopher. This building, courtesy of its unusual design has become one of. He has contributed towards designing and building schools, civic buildings, institutes, hospitals and leprosy centers, chapels and over private homes for the poor in india mostly in southern district of kerala, residences for individual clients and mass housing as a part of government schemes. Laurie baker national award the ministry of housing, government of kerala has instituted a national award for sustainable housing, in the name of the renowned architect late dr. Jun 14, 2017 this year, 2017, marks the centenary birth anniversary of arguably indias greenest architect, laurie baker, who was often called the father of sustainable architecture. Laurie came to india in 1945, worked in the remotest of areas mostly in kerala, and passed away in 2007 at a ripe age o f 90. These projects can be seen as a serious contribution to nation. Born in birmingham, england, in 1917, laurie baker studied architecture at the birmingham school of architecture from where he graduated in 1937 and became an associate member of the riba. Clay tiles enable to keep the interiors cool in hot and humid weather and the sloping design enabled rainwater to drain off easily.
Bakers primary contribution to contemporary architecture is a personal and. Works laurie baker has been practicing architecture in kerala for over 44 years. What is bakers contribution to indian architecture. The competition is managed by the kerala state housing board and housing commissionerate of government of kerala. Gerard da cunha baker of india i was an anarchic 19 year old student of architecture on a study tour to the south of india, when i saw two buildings done by laurie baker. Pdf drawn from the sources architecture of laurie baker naresh. Architect, planner, activist and theoretician, an international lecturer and traveler correas work in india shows a careful development, understanding and adaptation of modernism to a nonwestern culture. Whats most amazing is that he did it on a foreign land, where initially people didnt even understand his language. For laurie bakers birth centenary, kerala architects come. Ive been trying to collect up various manifestos and lists of principles, especially with. Laurie baker was born in 1917 in england, the youngest of three children. In architecture, laurie baker is one of the marvels that challenged the.
Nick kindly pointed me towards laurie baker, the architects, website, where i found this gem of a manifesto, or architectural principles. Over a long career, he developed a philosophy of cost effective and ecosensitive architecture. Feb 28, 2017 23 rich traditional architectural wonders of kerala. One of his initial experiences in architecture came early in his childhood when he was taken to see the ancient buildings. Download as ppt, pdf, txt or read online from scribd. During the world w ar ii he was an anaesthetist to a sur gical team in china where he also worked on leprosy control and treatment. Laurie baker has been practicing architecture in kerala for over 44 years.
Laurie baker institute of habitat studies in thiruvallom. In 1990, the government of india awarded him with the padma shri in recognition of his meritorious service in the field of architecture. Houses were constructed facing the east, preferably and the design of the buildings as well as the. Kanvinde, laurie baker kerala architecture characteristics ekasala, dwisala, trisala, catussala nalukettu temple architecture materials of construction construction techniques used influence of climate, topography and materials on architecture. His greatest contribution was showing that costeffective and. Costford, who worked closely with baker for over a decade, says that baker was a master, and no single person can take his place. Laurie baker institute of habitat studies labishas got 6.
Oct 12, 2016 gandhi told him that anyone willing to work for the people was welcome to the country. Feb 01, 2014 a 1987 documentary by r nanda kumar the video quality is poor and the audio is out of sync but the real value is to be able to see baker give such simple yet powerful answers and demonstrate and. Laurie baker vernacular architecture in india natural. Laurence wilfred baker laurence wilfred laurie baker 2 march 1917 1 april 2007 was a britishborn indian architect. Climatic impact on vernacular architecture of kerala. Places of worship have been reworked over centuries, the styles differing according to the period of renovation, resulting in a vivid representation of an eventful political and cultural life. Best tsunami initiative in india undp india person of the year award by india vision news channel for the year 2005 in recognition of the contributions that records remarkable and qualitative change in the life of. Mud laurie baker about the author born in birmingham, england, in 1917, laurie baker studied architecture at the birmingham school of architecture from where he graduated in 1937 and became an associate member of the, riba. Elizabeth baker, in her memoir of her time together with laurie baker, the other side of laurie baker, discussed the berinag tea that they shared that was very special to them, as laurie was a man of exquisite and simple taste, who always loved the simple pleasures of life. The first was a onetime home of his with a doughnut plan. Acceptable housing laurie baker 1999 this manual is mainly put together to help deal with working out inexpensive, effective and acceptable housing schemes for the homeless families in kerala.
Vineet radhakrishnan, his grandson, has released a documentary on his life. A 1987 documentary by r nanda kumar the video quality is poor and the audio is out of sync but the real value is to be able to see baker give such simple yet. Laurie baker, the legend of architecture for the poor, designed houses for many. Chandy, he received great encouragement and later married his sister while laurie continued his architectural work and research accommodating the medical needs of the community through his constructions of various hospitals and clinics. Correas early works attempt to explore a local vernacular within a modern environment. The exterior design incorporates elements from the architecture of the old cathedral that it replaced. He, however, reveals that a number of likeminded people are planning to start a school of architecture in kerala to teach bakers philosophy and practice of architecture. The project is intended as a collaborative research of the laurie baker centre for habitat studies lbc, thiruvananthapuram, kerala with the sr sankaran chair in rural labour studies, national institute of rural development, hyderabad. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. In 1948 he married elizabeth jacob, a likeminded doctor from kerala and they set up a hospital. Remembering laurie baker, the pioneer british architect who. Government of kerala invites applications for laurie baker.
Standing tall among the select few is laurie baker, who was born and trained in architecture in england, but made india, more specifically kerala, his home, leaving a deep imprint in keralas architectural history. One of the prominent landmarks in the thampanoor area of trivandrum, where both the railway station as well as the bus terminal are located, is the indian coffee house designed by laurie baker. The development of modernist architecture in india the. Sep 27, 2014 the configuration of space in the kerala lalitkala academy is seen by many artists as a deterrent in presenting works of art primarily because like all laurie bakers buildings, the space is vibrant and nonsterile. Traditional kerala architecture is primarily based on the principles of thatchu shashtra science of carpentry and vaasthu shashtra science of architecture and construction. Clay tiles are used for the roofing in traditional kerala architecture and these are supported by a sturdy framework of wooden rafters kazhukol and beams. Lawrence wilfred baker, or laurie baker as the indians called him, gave a new meaning to architecture. Laurence wilfred baker, born on 2nd march 1917 in birmingham, england, moved to india at the peak of the indian independence struggle against the british. Laurie bakers contribution to the continuation of vernacular. Anyone with more information on features of kerala architecture and practices earlier used by kerala architects may please write to us with details to be included in this. Because baker did not like to do his jobs on drawing tables rather he preferred on site decisions. Lecture 3 contemporary architecture laurie baker authorstream.
Jan 01, 2012 one of the prominent landmarks in the thampanoor area of trivandrum, where both the railway station as well as the bus terminal are located, is the indian coffee house designed by laurie baker. Truth in architecture book online at best prices in india on. Designed by iconic architect laurie baker, the cathedral has a templelike exterior but a conventional church interior. The author gautam bhatia tries to frame most of the works of baker in this book although it was a tough job. This page was last edited on 6 september 2019, at 18. This building, courtesy of its unusual design has become one of the most recognisable structures in. During the world war ii he was an anaesthetist to a surgical team in china where he also worked on control and treatment. Laurie baker, who has died in india aged 90, was a passionate architectural innovator who faced fierce criticism for advocating construction using only local materials this is premium content. The vernacular architecture of kerala in india is explored to demonstrate a design case with southeast asian characters but situated beyond the agreed modern region of southeast asia. Lauri baker report free download as powerpoint presentation. The laurie baker centre for habitat studies lbc was created by his friends, students and admirers to propagate his philosophy of the concept of sustainable development through research, extension, training, documentation, dissemination and networking. Laurie baker building but mohan singhs house where he can live happily with his family. The unique examples of kerala were impacted by different aspects.